National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has warned against infringement on the Nigerian immigration Act by British Airways with the replacement of a senior Nigerian manager with an expatriate.

In a protest letter dated 7 July 2008 to the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, zone 'A' Alagbon Lagos and signed by NUATE secretary general, Gideon Ogbuji, the union declared that a Nigerian, Mr. Ini Jimmy, has been replaced with a New Zealander, Mr. Adrian McCloy, in questionable circumstances.

According to the union, the removal of Jimmy negated the intents and purposes of the Immigration Act of 1963 and said it was a fallout of an ongoing case on salary increment and discussions on new condition of services

It argued that the 1963 Act on the issuance of business permit and expatriate quota as boldly spelt out in the revised guidelines on business permit expatriate quota administration 2004 was to provide among other things, for the training of Nigerians understudy and eventually take over expatriate quota positions.

The protest letter read "We are now faced with a situation at British Airways where one Adrian McCloy from New Zealander has been brought in to take over the position held by a Nigerian, Mr. Ini Jimmy, who was deliberately frustrated out of the airline".

According to NUATE, the behaviour of the New Zealander since his arrival in Nigeria has been hostile not only to the British Airways staff but officers from NUATE's national secretariat, who have been negotiating conditions of service.

The union alleged that McCloy had ordered the airlines security to bundle out NUATE's assistant secretary general, Abdukareem Motajo from its premises where he had gone with his president to discus with members on welfare.

The union noted that there was no basis for granting expatriate quota to British Airways for McCloy and should be withdrawn.

NUATE urged the immigration service to join them in upholding the country's immigration laws in order to guarantee jobs meant for Nigerians.